Complications (12 page)

Chapter Twelve

“
Oh
, Alex,” Olivia panted with her head thrown back in pleasure. She groaned in frustration as he purposefully slowed his pace. “More, please!
God
, Faster!”

Alex grunted at her command, dangerously close to coming even as he obeyed. Olivia was demanding when it came to sex, but he loved it. He loved that she wasn’t shy about receiving her pleasure, even if she turned shy once they finished. She blew his mind, either way.

It was a gloomy Sunday afternoon. Olivia had just returned from checking in at her cupcake shop and Alex had practically mauled her as soon as he answered the door. He couldn’t get enough of her. Last night, after working each other up in the hot tub, Alex had spread her out on his bed and thoroughly enjoyed his sexy, beautiful lover. Twice.

Now, Alex savored the sight in front of him. Olivia looked like a wet dream spread out on his kitchen table, legs wide with those beautiful breasts quaking at his every thrust. Her arms were raised above her head, clasping the opposite edge of the table tightly as her bright eyes pleaded with his.

He hadn’t bothered getting them both undressed. Her blue button up shirt was completely undone but not off and her bra was pushed just below her breasts. The fabric of her flowy skirt was bunched up around her hips. Hell, he hadn’t even slipped off her underwear. Instead, he had just pushed the thin material to the side when he hurriedly unbuckled his belt.

Alex felt the beginnings of her orgasm. He could read it in the desperate look she gave him and in the way her cheeks flushed an even deeper pink. He knew she was there when her walls clenched around him tightly, making him curse.

He didn’t last long after that. She milked him of every last drop and he slumped down on top of her as he tried to catch his breath, still pulsing inside her.

She lifted a hand to stroke his hair as he rested his head on her stomach. He groaned, completely exhausted even though it was only midday. They had lounged most of the morning in bed, but he hadn’t had much sleep the night before again. By the time he and Olivia had finally fallen asleep, it had been two in the morning.

He lifted his head and slowly straightened, gently pulling out of her. She watched quietly, glassy eyed, as he slowly rolled off the condom. He tossed it into the trashcan next to the island counter and then reached down to help her in a sitting position, with her legs dangling off the side of the table. They were eye-level this way and Alex took advantage of it.

He gave her a passionate, slow kiss before pulling away. “Hi, darling,” he whispered, his heart still racing.

“That was one heck of a greeting,” she whispered back as she draped her arms around his neck. He grinned, taking the time to adjust her bra and skirt.

“
That
was a proper greeting,” he countered, his fingers slowly buttoning her shirt.

Suddenly, his doorbell rang.

“Shit,” Alex muttered as Olivia jerked in surprise. Who the hell could that be? He certainly wasn’t expecting anyone.

Olivia took over for his fingers, making quick work of her buttoned blouse, while he zipped up his jeans.

He left Olivia in the kitchen to stalk to his front door, hoping it was just a solicitor so he could get rid of them easily.

But when he pulled open his front door, he realized he had no such luck.

“Oh hi, I’m looking for my friend, Alexander Matlock. He’s been MIA for the past few days and won’t pick up his goddamn phone. And by the way, whose car is that in your driveway, man?”

It was Luke. Damn.

* * * * *

Olivia poked her head out into the hallway curiously as she heard another male voice. She walked slowly towards the entryway, picking up more pieces of conversation as she got closer.

“I told you I’ve been busy,” Alex said. The sound of his front door closing echoed down the hallway. At first, Olivia thought he had gotten rid of the mystery person, but then she heard the other voice again.

“Bullshit. I know you’re hiding some chick,” the mystery man said. “Now, where is she? I wanna meet her.”

Olivia frowned, edging closer to the front door. Who was this man? “And I already told you I’m not, so just drop it,” Alex replied, his voice calm. But Olivia could tell he was agitated. He was a little
too
calm.

But why would he lie about her? They
were
sleeping together. Didn’t guys brag about that kind of stuff?

The voices were rounding the corner of the entryway and Olivia froze when she saw the mystery man come into her direct line of sight. Alex was following closely behind him, his expression blank.

The man spotted her a few moments later. “So, who is this then?” he asked, grinning widely at Olivia.

The man was handsome, but not in the devilishly handsome way Alex was. He had short blonde hair, cut close to his scalp, with piercing blue eyes and a crooked nose. And he was massive. He looked like he could pull train cars with his pinky finger. But Olivia noticed immediately that this man practically oozed charm, which gave him an air of confidence that surely attracted many people. Probably many
women
. He was dressed casually in light wash jeans and a thick black sweater. But he had mud encrusted on his boots. Olivia was certain it would drive Alex crazy if he hadn’t realized it already.

Olivia felt rooted to the spot as both sets of eyes zeroed in on her. Olivia waited for Alex to introduce them, smiling politely at the man who practically lumbered towards her. But Alex never said anything.

Before she could wonder what that meant, the man held out his hand. “Pardon my friend for his extreme rudeness,” the man said, still smiling widely. “I’m Luke Branford. And you are?” His name seemed familiar to her but she couldn’t put her finger on where she had seen it before.

She took his hand and smiled hesitantly. “Olivia Ward. It’s nice to meet you, Luke.” She was surprised when he brought her hand up, as though to kiss the back of it. But he stopped suddenly, something shifting in his eyes and he gently let go, casting an unreadable look at Alex.
That was weird
, Olivia thought, looking to Alex for answers. But he wasn’t looking at her. He apparently thought his floor was much more interesting.

Olivia felt an odd pang in her chest at his refusal to look at her. Why hadn’t he introduced them? And why did Luke think Alex was hiding her?

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Olivia wondered if Alex didn’t want his friends to know about her.

Suddenly, she wanted to leave. She wanted the floor to swallow her up so she wouldn’t have to look at him. How could she have been so stupid? Of course a man like Alex wouldn’t want his friends to know he was having sex with a plump, self-conscious baker.

But unfortunately, Olivia couldn’t make her escape just yet. “So, how long have you two been dating?” Luke asked, his grin still as wide as when he first saw her.

She felt a flash of anger burn down the middle of her chest, a perfect compliment to her embarrassment. It was like Miles all over again. Except somehow, it hurt more that Alex was ashamed of her. “We’re not dating,” Olivia replied. Her voice sounded icy to her own ears and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alex’s head snap up at the sound. “I was just leaving actually, but it was nice to meet you, Luke.”

She plastered a smile on her face as she brushed past the both of them, trying not to inhale Alex’s smell on the way in fear that she might start crying.
Stupid, stupid, stupid
!

She reached the entryway in record time, grabbing her purse off the side table quickly. She had left some clothes and her toothbrush in Alex’s bedroom but there was no way in hell she would go back to get them. As she opened the front door, she heard Luke say, “Uh oh, trouble in paradise?”

“Shut the fuck up, Luke,” came Alex’s annoyed response. It was the last thing she heard as she shut the door behind her.

Olivia raced down the steps, fumbling for her keys in her purse. Just as she reached her car, she heard Alex’s front door open and slam. But she didn’t turn around.

She unlocked her car door but just as she reached for the handle, she felt a warm hand clasp around her arm. “Olivia, wait. Don’t go,” came Alex’s deep voice.

She tugged her arm out of his grasp roughly and turned around to face him, figuring she wouldn’t be able to escape now without confronting him. Anger and sadness both burned within her. “What the hell was that about?” she asked, looking up at his face. She wanted answers.

He was so handsome that it hurt to look at him. But his expression was guarded. He was going cold on her. Again. After everything he told her about his father, he still shut down so easily. It was frustrating as hell and Olivia knew that she didn’t deserve this. She almost didn’t believe that less than ten minutes ago he had been buried deep inside her as warmth burned in his eyes.

Now it was like looking at a statue.

“Forget it,” Olivia mumbled, feeling drained. She reached for the door handle again.

“Olivia, I’m sorry. I know what you’re thinking, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth,” he said softly. He reached out to touch her but she backed away from his hand.

Of course he could read her. She was an open book. But she wished he couldn’t sometimes. And this was definitely one of those times.

“It doesn’t matter, Alex,” she mumbled, the cool fall air stinging her face. “I don’t even know what we’re doing. We’re not in a relationship. Heck, we’re not even dating. We’re having sex. It was supposed to be simple. But now, it’s getting a little too complicated for me and I’m feeling too much,” Olivia said, looking into his eyes, searching for something. Anything.

She wanted to shake him. Force him into showing her some kind of emotion right now. One little sign that he felt something for her too. But she got nothing.

Olivia let out a shaky breath as rejection swept over her. She had really gone off the deep end with him. She realized that now. She liked him way more than she ever thought she would. Maybe it was better to go their separate ways now because Olivia knew there was no way in hell a man like Alex would be able to return her feelings. Especially when he couldn’t even introduce her to his friends.

“I’m gonna go,” she murmured, tears stinging her eyes. She pulled open her car door and climbed inside quickly, jamming the key in the ignition. “Bye, Alex,” she said quietly, before she shut the door.

He was still standing there, hands down by his sides, as she pulled around his car and turned onto the street. She started crying the second his house disappeared from her rear view mirror.

And she didn’t stop until she had already been home for over an hour.

Olivia splashed her red face with cool water from the kitchen sink, scrubbing off any remaining traces of her runny mascara. Her nose was completely stuffed up from crying and she was positive her eyes were swollen and red. She wouldn’t make a pretty sight, that was for sure.

Her phone dinged suddenly from inside her purse, making her heart jump in nervousness as she wondered if Alex was trying to contact her. She patted her face dry before she padded over to the couch to retrieve it.

She sniffed as she flipped open her phone and saw that there were two new text messages. She scrolled to the first one, waiting for her slow phone to pop the screen up.

It read:
How have you been? I’m worried about you.

Olivia frowned, looking for a name. But there was only a number. And after staring at the number for a few seconds, she realized whose number it was. It was a number that she had dialed often for the past six years. A number she had deleted from her contacts a few weeks ago.

Miles
.

Anger coursed through her. He was
worried
about her? The idea almost made her laugh.

Why the hell was he contacting her? What right did he have?

She noticed he had sent the text to her earlier this morning. With a pang, she realized it was sent when she and Alex had still been snuggled up in bed. She probably hadn’t heard her phone ding.

In her anger, she deleted it. She would never respond to him. She would never give him the time of day. It would suit her perfectly fine if she never saw him again either.

She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. This was turning into an awful day. And it was only three in the afternoon.

She remembered the other text message and hoped to God that it wasn’t from Miles. But as Olivia scrolled to it, she saw a name instead of a number as she opened up the message. Her stomach clenched tightly, heart pounding when she read
Alex Matlock
at the top.

Olivia, I could say sorry a hundred times but it won’t make up for how I treated you this afternoon. But I’ll still say I’m sorry. Please give me a chance to explain.

Her heart fluttered even as tears started to pour down her cheeks again.
Damn, I just stopped,
she thought irritably.

She read his text over a dozen times, until she had practically memorized it. She didn’t know how to respond. Or even if she should.

Alex made her feel too much. Maybe some distance from him right now would be best, so that she could sort through the last week in her mind.

Olivia decided not to respond to Alex’s text.

But she didn’t delete it either.

What she needed right now was time to get her head on straight. And if there was one person in the entire world that could confuse her more, it was Alex Matlock. A man with dark eyes and a tempting smile.

A man she could easily fall for if she wasn’t careful.

End of Book One

Book Two of The Rebound Series will be released in late December 2013…

Visit
www.emiliawinters.com
for up-to-date information, including excerpts and teasers from the series.

Author’s Note

Dear Reader,

The road to self-publishing has been long but extremely rewarding and I am thrilled that I am finally able to share my writing with you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for starting this journey with Alex and Olivia. There will be much more fun to come!
Complications
is the first book of three in The Rebound Series. Alex and Olivia will continue their story in the second installment of the series, coming out in late December 2013.